Rockefeller Heir Dies In Westchester Plane Crash

June 13, 2014|By DAVID OWENS, dowens@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

The great grandson of business magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller was at the controls of an airplane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Westchester County Airport Friday morning.

Richard Rockefeller, an experienced pilot and owner of the single-engine Piper Malibu Meridian, died in the crash, according to lohud.com, the website of the Journal-News of White Plains.

The airplane reportedly struck trees and went down just after 8 a.m. It arrived at Westchester on Thursday from Portland and was headed back to Portland when the crash occurred, airport officials said.

Richard Rockefeller is an advisory trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in New York City. His great grandfather was a cofounder of the Standard Oil Co.

Richard Rockefeller, 64, a retired physician, also chaired the U.S. Advisory Board of Doctors Without Borders from 1989 until 2010, and served on the board of Rockefeller University until 2006, according to the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation website.

He had been in New York to have dinner with his father David Rockefeller to mark his 99th birthday, the Journal-News reported.